As the first anniversary of the shooting of Assistant Principal Abnerd Joseph approaches, his family continues to seek accountability for his death. Joseph, who served at Intrinsic Charter High School in the Loop, was shot multiple times on the evening of September 14, 2023, inside the hallway of The Legacy of Millennium Park high-rise, where both he and the alleged shooter resided. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office has yet to file criminal charges against the neighbor, who, according to ABC7, is a tenant in the same building and holds a valid Concealed Carry License.
The family, still grappling with the loss, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against not only the shooter but also the building's owners, management, and security. The circumstances leading up to the confrontation have been a point of contention – Joseph was experiencing an apparent mental episode following a recent change in medication, and was, according to the lawsuits, seeking help by knocking on neighbors’ doors, while in a state of undress that included only socks, a bathrobe, and boxer shorts. "He did everything right. He went to school. He didn't get in trouble with the law," his sister Jeanne Joseph Kelly, "He worked hard for everything that he had, and that is the most heartbreaking part," ABC7 reported.
Additional details of the incident reveal the complexity of the event – an updated lawsuit also places responsibility on the homeowner's association of Joseph's building, questioning bylaws and security protocols that may have led to Joseph being confronted by the armed neighbor with the assistance of building security. Attorney Antonio Romanucci stated, "The shooter ‘either used unjustified force or he didn’t. [Joseph’s] family deserves some sort of closure,'" as per the Chicago Sun-Times.
